Tuesday 4 April 2017

Aspects Of Society

In the Polesotechnic League period of Poul Anderson's Technic History, we see inside a trading company.

In the Terran Empire period, we see inside the Intelligence Service.

In Ian Fleming's James Bond series, we see inside an Intelligence Service.

In Stieg Larsson's Milllennium Trilogy, we see inside a Swedish investigative magazine and also inside the Swedish Intelligence Services.

Each of these societies has many aspects. Van Rijn is seen being interviewed on the equivalent of TV. The Terran Imperial government decides how much information to release to the media and their Merseian opposite numbers also communicate propaganda to Terran institutions. So, in either of these periods, what is it like to live on Earth and to work in the media, education, public services or other kinds of organizations? A complex civilization is assumed although we are only shown one small part of it.

1 comment:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I have to agree, we see only small parts of what a complex interstellar society, however it might be organized, in Anderson's Technic Civilization stories. We would like to know more about, say, Terra and Merseia. Anderson DOES gives us snatches or glimpses of what Terra was like in the days of Dominic Flandry, but not enough.

I would argue that Anderson gives us more information about other planets, both in and outside the Empire. Aeneas, Dennitza, Altai, Nyanza, Unan Besar, Avalon, etc.

Sean